The First Beast War
The First Beast War was the first documented organized conflict in all of history, though there must have been prior conflicts due to the organization of the ancient Dwarven and Human hosts. It was fought between ancient Dwarves and Humans; and Dragons accompanied by a small host of Bloodelks. Prelude to War Ancient Dwarves and Humans had lived within The Aggi's Teeth Mountains for thousands of years due to the threat of Dragons and other unsavory peculiar beasts. Dragons were known for their greedy and relentless manner, and would often snatch up the mountain's denizens or small bands of them would attack fortresses, mostly for fear's sake but also to get a few kills. As time went on, though, ancient Dwarves and Humans had hardened their defenses and resolve, making some fortresses - such as the Ackenurn and Esklayn fortresses - nigh on impregnable. This left a bad taste in the Dragons' mouths for many a year; but, due to their solitary and non-heirarchic nature, large bands or hosts weren't organized for larger attacks... until the charismatic upstart Hatekrueties "The Whiptongue" began rallying other Dragons and peculiar beasts under him. Not much is known about how Hatekrueties was able to gather his hosts, some saying that he selflessly offered his own dragon hoard, while others claim that he hid an extremely valuable magical item, while others still just claim he had a silver tongue; but, what is known is that they were gathered and marched/flew to the now-aptly-named Black Grasses. The Distraction The monstrous and unruly horde gathered at the feet of the gigantic Esklayn Fortress, struggling to keep in order and together in a host form. Hatekrueties had promised them that this sort of warfare would work, but they were unsure, and were annoyed and anxious. Eventually, a large host of ancient Dwarves and Humans led by their King Bluik Hrocken were formed and marched down to meet their foe. None had seen Dragons and peculiar beasts form up at this grand a scale, an were understandably frightened by the prospect. Their king was a hardy warrior, though, and his resolve was unmatched by anyone at the time. The King and Hatekrueties are said to have had a quick and aggressive parley, where a trial by combat was called. Any normal Dragon would've ignored this and begun their attack; instead, Hatekrueties decided he would humor them. Klaggis the Heavy-Handed was called as Bluik Hrocken's champion, and Hatekrueties chose himself as his own champion. They both quickly took the field. Klaggis was felled by Hatekrueties within the first minute, his tongue being said to have "whipped from his mouth at lightning speed, leaving Klaggis a crumpled sack of broken bones." Hatekrueties was subsequently named by all "The Whiptongue". The Dragons expected to be allowed to take the Esklayn Fortress without bloodshed; but, as the battle had gone on, unbeknownst to them, a gigantic host of ancient Dwarves and Humans had formed up behind them, flanking the Dragons and leaving them encircled. The Battle of The Black Grasses Encircled and outnumbered, the host of peculiar beasts and begun to panic, the powerful Bloodelks stampeding desperately into Bluik Hrocken's lines and being cut down relentlessly by his warriors; and the Dragons turning their breath on anything other than themselves in an effort to escape. Ropes were thrown over the dragons to keep them from flying away, and hundreds of them were felled. The field had become a tornado of fire, killing many ancient Dwarves, Humans, and Dragons alike. This fire scorched the field black, and spread from the battlefield for miles around, leaving a permanent scar upon the land due to the magical nature of the fire. Hatekrueties' left wing was charred beyond repair by his own army, and he was tied up by the enemy force, eventually being stabbed to death as he tried to lash out. Aftermath King Bluik Hrocken and Klaggis the Heavy-Handed were hailed as heroes for this battle, and Bluik would go on to fight in The Second Beast War, where he died. Hatekrueties' young son, Gehllifyre quickly formed a new host from the Dragons who hadn't participated, citing revenge as a good reason. He went on to avenge his father in The Second Beast War, killing Bluik Hrocken in single combat during The Battle of Esklayn Fortress. OOC Notes -This page was created by Timothy Silvers on August 24th, 2018.